DEFIANCE, Ohio (Dec. 29) – The Waynesburg University men's basketball team knew it was in for a shootout in the first round of the Purple and Gold Tournament, which was is being hosted by Defiance. The Yellow Jackets beat high-scoring Greenville at its own game and pulled out a 127-125 victory to advance to Saturday's title contest.
 
There were plenty of statistical highlights for Waynesburg (5-5), which improved its overall record to .500 for the first time this season. The win was the Yellow Jackets' fourth straight, which makes it their longest such streak since the 2015-16 campaign. The 252 combined points are the most in a game in program history, while the 127 points scored is one shy of the school mark set in 1998-99 against Practical Bible.
 
"Our guys showed terrific resolve tonight. It's been fun to watch them have some success down the stretch of games," said Waynesburg head coach Mark Christner.
 
Five different Jackets reached double figures in scoring during the wild win, including freshman guard Matt Popeck, who scored a game and personal collegiate-high 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting. He added a team-high seven assists, six rebounds, two blocks and three steals to a productive 30 minutes on the court.
 
Sophomore forward Shane Johnson put together his best game as a Yellow Jacket by pouring in 23 points over just 18 minutes off the bench. He connected on nine-of-12 shots on the field.
 
Senior forward Marcus Wallace was the picture of efficiency as he racked up 18 points on seven-of-eight shooting from the floor and going four-four in free throw attempts. Wallace completed his first double-double of the season with a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Senior wing Jon Knab went for 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while sophomore guard Frank Bosicevic chipped in 12 points over 25 bench minutes. Two of those points came on the game's final basket, which resulted in the game-winning layup he dropped in with five seconds showing on the clock. As if that wasn't enough, he also leapt into the air during the following Greenville (5-5) possession and snagged the game-clinching steal to finally end the marathon contest.
 
Facing a team like the Panthers that scores 123.1 points per game, the second-highest average in Division III, presents its share of challenges. Greenville fired up 107 shots, but Waynesburg held the opposition to just a 38 percent conversion rate. The Panthers also connected on 23-of-59 three-point attempts and piled up 21 steals with their game-long full-court press.
 
"Greenville's system is so unique, and it played it well tonight, so to come out on top says an awful lot about the growth of our group," Christner said. "Greenville wants to shoot 60 three's and force 30 turnovers every game, so it's pretty particular. They got a lot of what they wanted to do, but we made one more play."
 
Interestingly, Waynesburg has now defeated a team ranked in the top five nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense this season. Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Grove City is allowing the fifth-fewest points in Division III (58.4 ppg).
 
While the Panthers had the advantage in quantity, the Jackets bested Friday night's opponent in terms of quality. Waynesburg connected on a season-high 62.8 percent of its tries from the floor and 88 percent of its foul shots. It also held a major advantage in rebounding (59-to-41). The Yellow Jacket defense came up with nine blocks, including a game-high three from freshman forward Ben Vitovich, while Greenville notched just three total swats.
 
The Jackets will go for their fifth-straight win tomorrow in the title game of the Purple and Gold Tournament when they face Wright State-Lake at 7 p.m. The Lakers defeated the host Yellow Jackets from Defiance 67-61.